Space/ Cleaning/ Noise Questions

[loveanimals]

I have room for a 120cm cage just about, and i have room for the large zooplus nylon pen to go in the middle of the room each day. But i went to pets at home today and saw the cages in person and they also had two adult ginea pigs in the rehoming section and i just don't see how the 120cm cage is enough room. How much time would they need to be in the pen each day? The problem i would have with a bigger cageis that i have space by the window but there is a closeable vent on the wall. I also could make room near the radiator but that is also a no-no.

What exactly do you do when you do a cage clean or is there a thread somewhere explaining? I have never cleaned a cage before.

Do guinea pigs make much noise at night?

Sorry to ask so many questions!

 

[MerryPip]

Let's see if I can help (at least a bit!)

120cm cage size is the RSPCA minimum for two piggies but bigger is always better especially for boys... Minimum requirements are exactly that, you should aim for at least that size but many people go bigger, often as big as space allows. C& C cages mean you can make large cages to fit your room and often much cheaper than shop bought cages. Unfortunately commercial cages are often too small and sold inappropriately for animals of all species. You can let them out as much as you like. Some of my piggies love floor time and others not so much. Some I have had run round the floor for most of the time I am home, others only under supervision but making sure always that dangerous plants/cables etc. are out of reach.

Cleaning will depend on what you use in your cage and your daily routine. Most people do a 'poo pick' or 'spot clean' at least once a day where you take out the most soiled material and clean up as much poop as possible. Then a full cage clean (so empty it, clean the cage - I use antibacterial wipes, others use all sorts of things as long as they are pet safe and re-fill with whatever you are using for bedding) a couple of times a week. The frequency you clean will very much depend on what bedding you use and your own circumstances. I use vet bed over the top of back-2-nature litter which is super absorbant and only needs replaced once a week even with my messy boars but others may use bedding which needs replaced every other day or anywhere in between.

Guinea pigs aren't nocturnal but seem to work on a series of regular sleeps throughout the day, with periods of activity in between. They may make some noise, they are a social species and like to chat, water bottles make a noise and if they get the 'zoomies' and race around they can make a noise so I wouldn't recommend keeping them in bedrooms if possible.

Hope some of that helps!

 

[Brittany Unrein]

Never be sorry for questions that's how we learn. Depending on what bedding you have in your cage depends on how you need to spot clean each day (removing poo and pee spots). You should do a total deep clean once a week and remove and clean everything in the cage especially if you have more than one pig. I have fleece bedding in my cage with 4 pigs. I spot clean the poo daily and change the fleece every 2 days to allow for washing of pee spots. If your wondering about cage size, for two pigs it is recommended to have a cage about 2 feet by 4 feet in size. i have four so my cage is a little over 3 feet by 5 feet and has a whole second level. My piggies don't make noise at night but it takes them a good 30 minutes to an hour to calm down once all the lights are off, but after they sleep right through the night.